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Blowout loss should get Jaguars off their "high horse"

All that preseason goodwill the Jaguars had built up received a cold slap in the face Thursday night at M & T Bank Stadium, reminding Mike Mularkey’s team that improvement sometimes involves taking a big step backwards.

The Jaguars’ suddenly leaky defense allowed a whopping 571 yards to the Baltimore Ravens in a 48-17 defeat, the most points ever allowed by Jacksonville in its preseason history.

Neither the starters or backups did much of anything to slow down the Ravens, who had five touchdown drives of 80-plus yards. Three Baltimore quarterbacks – Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor and Curtis Painter – threw for a combined 433 yards and completed 37 of 48 passes.

Mularkey minced no words in expressing his disappointment on the Jaguars’ post-game radio show, saying: “[Baltimore] had a high tempo [on offense] all night and we just didn’t respond. Maybe this is what we needed to wake us up a bit and get us off our high horse.”

The Jaguars’ offense was able to move the ball, but struggled to finish drives. Starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert (11 of 21, 117 yards) played three full quarters, but produced just three points in eight series. Laurent Robinson, the high-priced free agent brought in to boost the receiving corps, continued his preseason struggles with zero catches. The lone bright spots were first-round draft pick Justin Blackmon, who had four receptions for 72 yards, and running back Rashad Jennings (13 carries, 57 yards).

While Jalen Parmele had two nice kick returns of 40-plus yards, the Jaguars’ special teams also had a rough night. They gave up two long kick returns, punt returns of 15 and 14 yards to Jacoby Jones, and placekicker Josh Scobee had a 30-yard field goal tipped by Pernell McPhee that resulted in the ball bouncing off the left upright.

A nightmarish performance included way too many missed tackles. Ravens’ receivers were often running wide open, especially Torrey Smith, who finished with eight catches for 103 yards. The only consolation was the Jaguars were playing without starting cornerback Derek Cox, linebacker Daryl Smith and elected to play cornerback Rashean Mathis for just a few snaps.

While holdout running back Maurice Jones-Drew spoke publicly to local media before the game for the first time, saying repeatedly it was “just business” and implied he’s still hoping for a contract extension, his teammates laid an egg in Baltimore.

Mularkey has often said that humility is a great teaching tool. If that’s the case, the Jaguars should learn plenty from the lessons the Ravens taught them.